Qasem Soleimani

Turkey's defense minister held a phone conversation with his U.S. counterpart to discuss recent developments in Iraq, an official statement from Turkey said on Jan. 6.

According to the statement issued by Turkey's National Defense Ministry, Turkey's Hulusi Akar and the U.S.'s Mark Esper addressed security issues in the region concerning both countries.

The United States has no plans to pull its troops out of Iraq, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Jan. 6, following reports by Reuters and other media of an American military letter informing Iraqi officials about repositioning troops in preparation for leaving the country.

A stampede erupted on Jan. 7 at a funeral procession for a top Iranian general killed in a U.S. airstrike last week, killing 32 people and injuring 190 others, state television reported.

UNESCO has reminded the US and Iran that they have signed international treaties that oblige them not to damage cultural heritage sites in armed conflict, Reuters reported.

They blocked it because it did not take into account the US airstrike near the ensuing Baghdad airport that killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, Russian Ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebenzya said.

The legacy of instability of 2019 was violently confirmed as the new decade began.

US President Donald Trump poureed fuel into an already flammable Middle East by ordering the murder in Baghdad of the prominent Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, an emblematic figure in Tehran with broad involvement in crucial fronts in Iraq and the Arab world in general.

NATO ambassadors will hold an extraordinary meeting at the headquarters in Brussels, according to BGNES. The news comes after an escalation of tensions in the Middle East over the assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani.

""The North Atlantic Council will address the situation in the region," a NATO official said.

NATO ambassadors will meet at their Brussels headquarters on Jan. 6 as Middle East tensions mount after U.S. forces killed a top Iranian general. 

"The North Atlantic Council will address the situation in the region," a NATO official said.     

"The secretary general decided to convene the meeting of NATO ambassadors following consultations with allies."    

Crude oil prices were up around 2 percent at trading start on Jan. 6 with escalated tensions in the Middle East risking secure crude oil supply from the region.

International benchmark Brent crude was trading at $70.17 per barrel at 0630 GMT for a 2.3 percent jump after it closed on Jan. 3 at $68.60 a barrel with a 3.55 percent increase in intraday trading.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe repeated his plans to deploy the Self-Defense Forces to the Middle East to ensure the safety of its ships, even as tensions in the region erupt in the wake of the United States' killing of one of Iran's top military commanders.